March break – Don't get more than you bargained for on the slopes

When talking about concussions, sports like football, hockey and soccer come to mind. But not all blows to the head are the result of contact sports. Skiing and snowboarding produce their fare share of concussions.

So with March break upon us and ski hills everywhere due to be filled with young enthusiastic skiers and boarders, let this article in USA Today help bring everyone on the slopes back down to earth – safely.

Head injuries a rising danger for skiers and snowboarders, starts off talking about American snowboarder Kevin Pearce who suffered a traumatic brain injury a few months before the Vancouver 2010 Olympics. Pearce says the accident occured because he ignored a less traumatic, but more significant blow to the head three weeks previous.

“It’s because my head was not healed and I shouldn’t have been snowboarding again,” he said. “That was the dumbest thing I’ve ever done in my life was to take that next run. For the consequences and how dangerous it was, it’s a joke that I even thought about doing that.”

Turns out there are plenty of boarders out there who think banging their head or taking a knee to the chin is just part of what it takes to get better. In snowboarding, big tricks mean big risks.

Yet, heading downhill takes a clear head and razor sharp reflexes. Without both, tragedy like what happened to Pearce can happen to even to the best skiers and boarders.

As for the long term consequences of too many blows to the head, the jury is still out. But with more and more football and hockey players blaming depression, chronic migraines and other psychological and physiological symptoms on a history of concussions, it’s time for skiers and boarders to stop treating head injuries like its the price they have to pay to get better.

Comments

We encourage all readers to share their views on our articles and blog posts. We are committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion, so we ask you to avoid personal attacks, and please keep your comments relevant and respectful. If you encounter a comment that is abusive, click the "X" in the upper right corner of the comment box to report spam or abuse. We are using Facebook commenting. Visit our FAQ page for more information.